Two arrests over hotel fire

Around 50 firefighters were called to the Premier Inn at Brackley Hatch, just behind the Green Man pub, just before 10pm on Monday night.

Within a few minutes the whole of the roof space had caught fire and started to collapse.

The hotel, just off the A43, had been evacuated and 60 guests were gathered in the car park to watch as the building burned.

The fire's understood to have started in some linen packed in plastic crates near some wooden buildings outside the hotel, before spreading upto the roof and moving through the roof space.

Arrests

Two men were arrested on suspicion of arson. One is 36 and from Coventry, the other is 20 and from the Leicester area. Both have been released on bail.

Detective Inspector Andy Glenn, of Northamptonshire West CID, said: "We are keeping an open mind as to the cause of the fire and should have more information later today.

"This fire is an isolated incident. There have been no similar fires reported in the area and there is no suggestion that there is any link to the British Grand Prix."

No one was hurt in the fire and the 60 guests were moved to other hotels around the area.

Lee Johnson, from Southampton, had been doing some training in the area and spoke to Heart from the chain's hotel in Harpole. He said: "It looked just a bin fire and to be honest, that's why i didn't go back into my room to get some things because i though it's a bin fire and it'll all be out in ten minutes. Ten minutes later, the whole building was gone."

Richard Key had been doing some work at a nearby Army base and told us: "Fortunately, because it started outside the building I think it gave everybody enough time to clear out and nobody was left inside thank god."

Red Cross

Red Cross fire and emergency support volunteers were deployed last night to provide practical and emotional support to the hotel guests.

According to Edith Wesley, senior service manager, Northamptonshire: “Our volunteers were very quick to respond to a serious situation. They’ve worked tirelessly to support people by providing blankets, clothing (donated by Tesco), advice and helping to keep people informed about the situation, which has been key.

One lady desperately needed insulin for her condition so we transported her to the nearest hospital."

If you have pictures of the fire from last night you can email them to northantsnews@heart.co.uk

News about the fire spread rapidly on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, especially amongst motorsports fans, as Brackley Hatch is one of the nearest locations to Silverstone which is hosting the British Grand Prix this week. Rooms for this weekend have been booked up for several months.

A spokesman for Premier Inn told Heart: "guests who have reservations for this weekend are being contacted as a priority today and will be relocated to another hotel in the area where possible. Those guests who have future reservations at Premier Inn Silverstone should call 0871 5278000 for further information."